Just a Man's Plaything
by Quileute Princess
Summary: Dark story of Jared's imprint on a sexually abused Kim. Rated M for theme of sexual abuse.
1. Chapter 1

Just a Man's Plaything

Chapter 1

_Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep!_

The alarm didn't even make me jump; I'd been lying there waiting for it to beep for the last 3 hours. I hate mornings, especially after getting no sleep. My step dad had come to visit me in my room in the early hours of this morning and the headache caused from my silent tears had kept me up all night.

I got out of bed and realized that I was going to have trouble walking today, I had put up my usual fight last night, perhaps even more desperately than usual seen as I was already in a depressed state and he had got rough with me again.

I jumped in the shower, refusing to look at my body, too afraid of what I would find on it; quickly pulled a pair of jeans and a shirt on and brushed my long brown hair. I didn't put any make-up on; _he_ didn't allow it so I had to sneak it on later in my car before school.

When I got down stairs my mum was sat eating some toast, she didn't have a clue what was going on, we had been growing apart ever since my dad died when I was 8 and I was too ashamed to tell her that her squeaky clean husband had been forcing himself on me for the past 5 years. I doubt she would believe me anyway.

I heard movement on the stairs and my stomach flipped with fear. He came into the kitchen and kissed my mum as if he was the perfect loving husband and I had to choke back the bile. Then he looked up and gave me a wink.

"Erm, I'm gonna get off to school" I rushed out

"Ok then Kimmy" Argh I hated when he called me that, "straight home afterwards, your mum needs your help round the house."

She looked up at him gratefully, "Thanks Mick", she was blatantly unaware that that was his trick for making sure I didn't get a chance to have a boyfriend. Not that anyone noticed me. It's not that I'm not pretty, people used to always comment on my beauty when I was younger and it had given me my ticket into the popular group at school, but ever since I had caught the attention of Mick (I cringed at the thought of his name) I had become quieter and quieter until no one bothered talking to me anymore, I had just faded away. It didn't really bother me to be honest, I mean yeah it was lonely at times but lonely was great for me, school had become my safe-haven, the only place that I could go to get away from _him_.

I jumped in my car and drove to school, not bothering to stick to the speed limit, I loved the freedom of driving fast. When I got to school I was pleasantly surprised to see a car I've haven't seen in a good 3 weeks. It belonged to Jared Makah, the only person in school I _did_ want to notice me. I sat next to him everyday in Art but he hadn't spoken to me since kindergarten, not that I could blame him.

I don't really have any friends at school so I just went straight to first period. It flew by like usual, bringing me closer to having to return home but at least I got to see Jared next period.

The bell rang and I made my way to Art, ignoring the attention I always got from the freshmen boys who didn't know how much of a social outcast I was, if only they knew what I really looked like under these clothes.

I rushed to class eager to see someone who didn't mentally undress me every time I walked past him, someone who didn't even notice me, someone safe. I'd missed Jared these past few weeks, my fresh air had gone along with him and all I had left to think about was the black hell that was my life.

He wasn't there when I got there so I just sat down and watched the door, waiting for him to come in and make everything easier to cope with again. I heard the popular girls in the seats behind me gossiping about his mystery disappearance and how much he had changed but I just ignored them. I hated gossips.

I heard the door open and looked up to see the object of my infatuation walking through the door. Wow, he had changed, he had grown a foot taller and looked like he'd been constantly working out for the past few weeks; his jaw was more chiseled and he looked so tired I wondered when he last had a good nights sleep. He looked up and caught me checking him out. _Shit_, I knew how annoying that was and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, staining the skin there, I looked away quickly and started studying the art on the walls.

"_Jared_? Jared? Jaaaarrrreeedd???" The voice of Jared's best mate, Paul caught my attention and I glanced up to see what was going on, instantly regretting my decision. Jared was still looking at me, eyes wide with a look of wonder glinting in his eyes. What the hell? I felt my cheeks redden even further. Paul was waving his hand in front of his face when he snapped his head round to look at me, as if something had suddenly occurred to him, and dragged Jared out of the room.

That was weird.

I looked behind me to see Carly Lewis, the prettiest girl in school who had been dating Jared on and off for the past 2 years and I quickly came to the realization that it had been her who had caught Jared's attention so intensely. Nice.

Mrs. Reynolds walked in and I tried not to notice when I heard Jared and Paul file in behind her. I resisted the urge to look at his perfect face for a good minute before I couldn't take it any longer; I glanced up at him and was shocked to see him still looking at me with that same look of wonder. I wanted to ask him what he was looking at but I hadn't spoke to him since we were about 8.

"Jared Makah!" Mrs. Reynolds was obviously fed up with his lack of attention, "do you want to be somewhere else?"

"Sorry" his apology was quiet and vacant, as if he wasn't sorry at all.

"Well Jared, your preoccupation with Kimberley has given me an idea for the next class project," My head snapped up to the sound of my name and I almost died, as I heard everyone in the room turn to look at me.

"Everybody look at your next door neighbour", what the hell? How am I supposed to look at him, "In the eyes Kimberley" I looked up at him, embarrassed to see a big smile on his face, wow he had a sexy smile, I had never been on the receiving end before and it was quite the treat to get free reign of looking at him.

"Get comfortable with looking at this face for the next 6 weeks and say hello to the object of your portraiture project". I heard groans of protest coming from around the room but I couldn't look away from Jared, I didn't understand it but there was some sort of instant electricity between us.

"Jared!" Carly hissed as she threw a piece of scrunched up paper at his face, and snapped me out of my trancelike state, "What's up with you?"

"What? Nothing, what you want?" He asked sounding slightly irritated.

"Er, I just wondered if you wanted Kim to swap partners with me?"

"Yeah sure I don't mind" I butted in, of course I wanted to be partners with Jared but this sudden attention was kind of worrying. I liked being invisible.

"No!" Jared sounded almost desperate, I looked at Carly to see her mouth hanging open, "we can't swap now, and it will be good getting to know new people." Did he just say that? Carly looked like she thought he was insane.

He turned in his seat, blocking Carly out, "Hey, I'm Jared" he smiled at me and I must have looked as confused as Carly.

"Erm, yeah I know, we used to hang out years ago. I'm Kim."

"Course I remember but I didn't think you would, we haven't spoke in a while" I was blushing again.

"Yeah, I guess you're right sorry."

"Don't be, you can't get away from me now" He smiled and winked at me and I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. That was what _he_ always said to me.

"Are you ok, I was only joking?" he looked distraught

"Yeah, sorry I just feel a little queasy" It wasn't a lie.

He looked like he was going to say something else but I was saved by the bell. I grabbed my books, got up and left the room as fast as I could. After art, 3rd period was pretty dull but I enjoyed the normality of it, which was more than I could say for lunch.

I had got my lunch and was sat in my car eating it as usual, when I heard a tap on my window. I almost jumped out of my skin and looked up to see an anxious looking Jared. I rolled my window down,

"Erm, yeah?" I asked confused as to why he was suddenly talking to me at all, let alone outside of class.

"Are you ok? Why are you sat out here on your own?"

"I always eat here Jared, what's it to you?" It came out harsher than I had planned but I couldn't help it, school was supposed to be the place I came to get away from controlling guys. But Jared looked crushed and I instantly felt guilty, he wasn't my step-dad.

"Oh, sorry, I was just worried, I-I'll go"

"Wait, sorry I'm just a bit confused, it's not as thought you normally talk to me"

"I've never had the opportunity before, you're always so…so"

"Alone?"

"Well, yeah I guess"

I shrugged, "I like it that way" Jared looked confused.

"Why?" I didn't like all these questions but he looked as though his life depended on knowing the answer.

"Er, I just don't have a high opinion of human nature I guess" Wow, that was more honesty than I planned on giving. Jared suddenly had a big grin on his face.

"Well, I'm not human so can I join you?" huh?

Before I could question it he'd walked round the other side of the car and was getting in.

"So where you taking me?" He asked with an eager smile that made my stomach flutter.

"I-I-We have school Jared, I can't just drive off with some guy I don't know." As much as I liked Jared I just didn't trust the male species.

"Good job you've known me since kindergarten then" He gave me a cheeky smile and I couldn't help but smile back.

"I love your smile."

"Wow, Jared where did that come from?" Fear filled me and my eyes bulged from my head.

Jared looked shocked but that was wayyyy too much for me, I didn't have a clue what was going on but if he had some bet with Paul then I couldn't take it.

"Get out." I said bluntly.

"Huh? Kim I-"

"Get out!" My eyes pricked and tears threatened to spill over. Jared looked horrified and hurried to get out of the car and close the door. I had to get out of here, I turned the engine on and Jared came rushing back over to my window but I sped off before he could say a word.

"Hey Kimberly, how was school?" My mum asked as I walked in the door at the usual time.

"It was school, mum. I need a shower." I walked past and straight upstairs, I didn't want her to see I'd been crying.

After I left school I just drove to a spot I like to go to on the edge of town and cried for a good 2 hours. It wasn't just about Jared, that had started it but this was a regular occurrence. I came here when I needed to cry about everything that was wrong in my life.

I jumped in the shower and did my ritual mind game of pretending all my troubles washed away with the water until I felt ready to face the world again. I quickly got dressed and made my way downstairs to help tidy up.

"Kimberly, I need to talk to you, Mick has finally agreed to take me away on a romantic holiday and we fly off to Barbados next week." My face lit up, this was the best news I'd heard since, well EVER! Hang on Kim calm down, lets check the details first.

"And you're leaving me on my own?" I asked careful not to look too happy or sad and make her change her mind, which was unlikely seen as she never took notice of how I felt anyway.

"Yes, Kim but only for a week, I know we've never left you before but you're practically all grown up now at 16 and, well you know we need this holiday."

Yeah, they needed it all right, mum and Mick had been arguing a lot recently, something about him always being to tired to make love to her. Ha, I knew why that was; he was too busy raping me every other night.

"Mum it's fine" I said encouragingly, "I'll be fine, and you're right you do nee-"

I was interrupted by a knock at the door; my mum went to get it.

"Hello Mrs. Ryan, is Kimberly at home?" Oh my god, It was Jared. How did he know where I live? And hadn't he gotten the message this morning.

"Yes she is. Jared Makah isn't it? I'll just get her" wow my mum was letting me talk to a guy, she must really be happy about this holiday.

"Kim! Jared Makah's at the door for you." She called. Why couldn't she just have sent him away? I made my way over to them.

"Hey" he said as I reached the door, our eyes connected and I almost got lost in the huge range of emotions I saw there, I tore my gaze away and looked at the floor.

"Hi", my mum disappeared into the kitchen "erm what are you doing here?"

"I was worried about you after you drove off toda-" My panicked look cut him off.

"Shhhh" I hissed as I pushed him out of the door, "Mum I'm going for a walk, I'll be back before dinner!" I shouted back into the house.

"Ok Kimberly, take care!" Yeah, completely preoccupied with holiday fantasies to care about me going for a walk with some random guy.

"Sorry" Jared's quiet voice pulled me out of my thoughts, "I didn't mean to upset you earlier, I don't know what happened but I'm sorry Kim" I looked at him then and I could see that he meant it with every part of his being. Poor guy, he doesn't have a clue.

"It's ok Jared, I over reacted I just don't tru-" I stopped before I said too much, why did I keep letting my guard down around this guy?

"You don't trust people?" He looked disgusted, great now he thought I was even more of a social retard.

"Not people, just guys" At least that was only half as bad, and would probably get the message through to him.

There was a long silence and I looked up to see Jared seething in anger, I thought about running away before he could start yelling at me for blowing him off.

"Did some guy hurt you Kim? Cause I swear to God I'll rip his head off!" Shit, how did he come to that conclusion so fast??

"Erm, you could say that but I really don't want to talk bout it ok?" I gave him a look that told him not to push it any further and he looked hurt that I shut him out, making me feel like a total bitch.

"Look Jared, I'm sorry for being cold with you but I don't know what's happened today to make you suddenly care about me? Not that it matters, whatever it is you should no that I'm really not worth the hassle". Why beat around the bush hey?

"Kim, I can't stop asking _myself_ why I didn't notice you sooner but when I walked in that classroom today something just…just changed, and I couldn't take my eyes off you". He looked me deep in the eyes and I couldn't help but believe everything that he said. My stomach turned to mush and I could feel my cheeks flaring up again.

"And Kim" he said stopping to look me straight in the eyes, "you are absolutely worth the hassle" he smiled melting me all over again.

I was about to protest but he beat me to it,

"So when are we going to start our project?"

"Well, erm, my step dad is kinda funny about me being around guys so it's going to be difficult."

"Oh" he said looking crushed.

"But he's taking my mum on holiday next week so I guess we could do it then?" His face brightened up immediately and I felt myself smiling with him. Wow, I was smiling, I haven't done that in a while.

"Great! Well, I've got to go do some things now but I'll see you at school tomorrow?" erm, were we suddenly friends now?

"Yeah…I guess"

"Great, bye Kim!"

"Erm, bye".


	2. Chapter 2

Just a Man's Plaything

**Chapter 2**

The next day I drove to school with more than one thing to be happy about. Firstly, my step-dad had left me alone last night, probably knowing I was still sore and that he'd be screwed if he broke his favorite plaything; and secondly my crush of forever had finally noticed me. I had been harsh to him yesterday and I was still very wary of him but I had believed him, and even though I was terrified of the male species and what they were capable of, something about Jared made me feel safe. Crazy huh?

When I got to school the object of my morning's thoughts was waiting for me at my locker.

"Hey" he said, smiling at me as if he'd just tasted chocolate for the first time.

"Hi, Jared wow I didn't know you were so worried about you're art project", he looked both confused and shocked that I'd spoken so much.

"What do you mean?" he queried.

"You can't seem to take you're eyes off my face, it hasn't got to be a masterpiece you know", Jared started chuckling and I couldn't help but smile. Wow, where had my personality suddenly come from, I'd better hide it back away after this conversation.

"You don't like people paying much attention to you do you?" He scanned my face

"N-erm why do you say that?" I suppose I had made it pretty obvious.

"Well you're the most beautiful girl in school but you hide away, trying to fade into the background, but it's impossible; people can't help but notice you." He was still scanning my face, closely monitoring my reaction.

"I-I-" I sighed, "I thought I was doing a better job if it." What else could I say? I'd been sussed. He laughed humourlessly,

"Why do you hide away Kim?" He was giving me that look again, the one that said his life depended on knowing the answer.

"I…erm…I guess I kinda told you the other day" I couldn't look up from the ground, I was too embarrassed.

"Because you don't trust guys? Kim, what the _hell_ has some guy done to you?" I could hear the disgust in his voice and I felt the familiar prick in my eyes that told me it was time to leave before I started bawling in the middle of the corridor.

"I've got to go" was all I could choke out before I turned my back to him and started to walk off.

"Kim, wait!" He reached out and grabbed my arm to stop me leaving and I just panicked, flinching away from him as if he was a monster. He looked horrified, I couldn't cope with this, I needed things to go back to normal. I turned and ran to the toilets.

I heard the school bell ring but I couldn't be seen right now, I ran into a cubicle and as soon as the door was locked I fell apart all over again. I felt so stupid that I couldn't control myself anymore, ever since Jared had spoke to me yesterday I've been a complete wreck.

I cried for a good 10 minutes before I left the cubicle to wash my face. My eyes were puffy and I looked terrible but it was the best I could do. If anyone asked I'd just tell them my cat had died, not that anyone would care enough to ask.

I walked out of the toilet adjusting my clothes and walked into someone. I apologized looking up to see Miss. Wendell, the School nurse.

"Oh my gosh honey are you ok?" she asked concerned.

"Yes thank you, my hay fever's just playing up" I lied.

"Honey, we live in the wettest part of the continental US, no one gets hay fever here" She looked at me, knowingly. Damn, why didn't I stick with the dead cat?

"Come on, lets get you to my room where we can talk" Oh no.

We walked down the corridor and into a small room with a chair that looked like it came from a dental surgery. I sat down and Miss. Wendell made me a milky cup of tea.

"My my, he said you were upset and he wasn't wrong, do you want to talk about it?"

"He?" I was confused, not Jared surely.

"Jared Makah, such a nice boy he was really concerned about you" I felt a pang of guilt for how I'd treated him earlier. It wasn't his fault I was so messed up.

The bell rang signaling the end of the first period so I played up my depression to make sure the nurse didn't make me go to art, I didn't want to face him just yet.

When it came to dinner I wasn't hungry so I just put some music on and laid in the back of my car. I had only been there for about 5 minutes when I heard a soft tap on my window. Oh great, not again I couldn't face making a fool of myself twice in one day, so I tried to ignore it, closing my eyes when I felt the car rock. What the hell? I rolled down the window to see Jared pushing the car.

"Jared! What the hell are you doing?!"

He shrugged, grinning "I wanted to see if you were ok but you were pretending to be asleep so I thought I would 'wake you up'."

"So you tried to break my car?" I looked at him as if he was crazy.

He chuckled, "no, I was only pushing it gently" he flashed me my favorite smile and I couldn't stop myself from returning it.

"So…can I join you?" he asked warily, probably praying I wouldn't freak out again.

"You not sick of my tantrums yet?" I asked smiling at him

He smiled back at me but he looked sad, "I haven't seen any tantrums yet, and no I'm not sick of you".

"Yes, you can join me" I got back in and he slid along beside me, surprisingly with how gracefully he maneuvered for a man of his size.

We just sat there in silence for a few minutes before I thought to lean over and put the music back on. The car started shaking and I looked round to see Jared with his eyes closed, bobbing his head to Linkin' Park. I let out a giggle and he snapped his eyes open and grinned at me.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You pretending to like my music" I echoed his grin.

"I'm not pretending darling, I happen to love Linkin' Park, I think you need to spend some more time getting to know me before making these wild accusations." He winked at me and this time I couldn't stop myself giggling with him.

Jared spent the next couple of lunchtimes with me in my car, we didn't talk about anything in particular he just made me laugh until my sides ached and I loved it. I don't know what had changed between us but I think we were becoming friends.

**_Please_ review guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

Just a Man's Plaything

WARNING! Contains highly disturbing rape scene. I didn't enjoy writing this, in fact i cried my eyes out but it had to be done; the extent of the damage had to be seen. Please review.

**Chapter 3**

It was the night before they were flying out to Barbados and I knew that he would visit me tonight. I hadn't been able to sleep a wink as I laid their in fear of what would happen, I knew exactly how it would go we'd been here a thousand times but it never got any easier. In fact, the more time I spent with Jared the harder it got, when he would run his disgusting hand over my thighs under the dinner table or push me up in the hall when my mum wasn't around and shove his tongue down my throat, it just got harder to deal with and especially tonight when I knew he would be demanding so much more.

I heard my door creak open and I squeezed my eyes shut as if I could block it all out. I sensed him coming closer to my still body and I almost cried out in pain when pulled back my comforter to get better access to me. He started kissing all over my face and body and I begged him to stop, just as I always did.

"Now now Kimmy, you know what I want and you know how it goes when you wind me up and try to fight me" he whispered into my ear, his vile breath making my skin crawl.

He put his hands on my pajama top and forcefully pulled it off me,

"I want to see all of you tonight, Kimmy" he said, his eyes widening when he took in my exposed chest.

I squeezed my eyes shut again unable to take seeing the look in his eyes. He almost ripped my pajama bottoms off, and I let out a terrified whimper.

"Don't start all of that Kimmy, do you want me have to gag you again?"

My eyes widened in terror as silent tears fell down my cheeks. I squeezed my thighs shut with every ounce of might I could muster, but I was weak and he was far too strong for me. He forced my legs open with an iron grip on my thighs and I knew I'd have huge black bruises in the morning, then he held my legs open with his knee as he pulled my knickers off.

"Ahh, I'm glad to see you listened to my warning and wore white this time, I'll save these to remind me of your sent while I'm away."

My stomach turned and I almost threw up there and then, a mistake I'd made a few too many times when I was younger, but he made sure I was a fast learner. The white underwear being the perfect example, last time I had worn black and he'd made me suffer for it all week. He told me if I was going to wear "naughty girls underwear he was going to treat me like a naughty girl and punish me", he'd never been so rough. I can still see the blood that had covered my sheets the next morning.

He forced my legs open once more and rammed himself inside me for the 763rd time.

-

The next day I couldn't move, I'd cried all night from both physical and mental pain and I was exhausted. I told my mum I was having a bad time of the month today as she kissed me goodbye and she said I could stay off.

They'd left now and I was all alone, I was supposed to be happy but I just felt sick. I got up and had a shower, refusing to look at myself in the mirror, then put on fresh underwear and a clean night shirt. I made my way downstairs, wincing at the pain but grateful it wasn't as bad as the week before, and laid out on the sofa to watch boring daytime TV and attempt to pull myself together. I was just dropping off to sleep when I heard a bang on the door.

Who was that? I thought about ignoring it but whoever it was was persistent. I got up wincing and made my way to the door.

"Kim?! Kim are you ok?" Oh no

"Jared? What are you doing here? Why aren't you in school?"

"I was worried about you, can I come in?"

"Erm…hang on a minute"

I looked down, to make sure all my bruises were covered up before I opened the door.

"Hey" I croaked, my voice hoarse from crying all night.

"Kim, what the hell happened?" His eyes were frantically searching me and I suddenly felt extremely exposed.

I looked up at him and his eyes were so filled with concern that everything I'd spent the morning trying to lock away just came crashing down on me and I dramatically burst into tears, unable to hold it in any longer, almost collapsing with the weight of my sorrow. The next thing I knew the strong hot arms of Jared has scooped me up and he was carrying me over to the sofa where he sat and cradled me, rocking his arms gently. We must have sat there for an hour before I ran out of tears and finally dropped off to sleep, knowing that when I woke up I would have a lot of questions to answer.

**Jared's P.O.V.**

It was Friday morning and I couldn't wait to see Kim, Sam had made me go on patrol with Paul last night so I hadn't been able to check on her and my body ached from being apart for so long. Ever since I'd imprinted on her 4 days ago I hadn't been able to get her out of my mind, even without her long, silky brown hair; her cheek-bone sweeping eyelashes that framed her deep blue eyes, that I could drown in from all her secrets; she was the perfect imprint. I missed her cute little nose, her lovely long neck and her beautiful smile. She didn't smile enough.

You see the trouble is, she won't let me get near her without freaking out and it scared the shit out of me. What the hell had happened to her to make her so afraid of guys that she jumps out of her skin every time I brush past her? She was scared of me and I hated myself for it but I couldn't just leave her alone, my body needed to be around her, I needed to sit with her in her car at lunch and just make her laugh so hard she forgot bout her fears; but when I got to school she wasn't there and no one had seen her.

I'd waited until second period when we had art together and when she never showed up I made up a doctors appointment and ran to her house as fast as my werewolf legs could carry me.

I quickly phased and knocked on her front door, her erratic breathing from behind the door telling me she was inside but when there was no answer I started panicking and knocked again, faster and louder.

"Jared? What are you doing here? Why aren't you in school?" she asked from behind the door, her voice raspy and doing nothing to soothe my anxiety.

"I was worried about you, can I come in?"

"Erm…hang on a minute" she sounded worried and I hated that I caused that feeling in her.

I waited impatiently, listening to her shuffle around before she opened the door.

"Hey" she croaked, her voice sounding like she'd been crying for hours and her eyes were all puffy and bloodshot. My anxiety hit the roof.

"Kim, what the hell happened?" I begged, my eyes frantically searching her for any evidence she was hurt.

I couldn't see any physical injuries but she looked seriously sleep deprived and was rough as hell, my heart throbbed inside my chest. She looked up at me as her eyes well up, I watched in horror as her face screwed up and she broke down crying hysterically, almost collapsing on the floor before I caught her and lifted her up in my arms, cradling her protectively. Her presence in my arms the only thing stopping me from phasing then and there, I didn't know for sure what had caused her this much pain but I had a good idea. She had told me some bastard had hurt her and as soon as I knew who it was I would hunt him down and rip the son of a bitch to pieces.

I sat us down on her sofa and she curled into my chest, I tried to calm her gently stroking her head and promising her she was safe here with me, that I wouldn't let anyone get to her but it just made her cry more. In the end I just kept quiet and rocked her gently until her sobs slowed and eventually stopped as her breathing evened out and I knew she was asleep. I just sat there for a good hour, enjoying the closeness of her, knowing she was safe but I knew she needed a good days sleep so I carried her upstairs, careful not to wake her, and laid her down on her bed. I had just turned to pull her duvet over her when I heard her whimper causing my heart to ache and my head to snap back to see if she was ok; she had moved in her sleep hitching her leg up and her night shirt had gone with it. I was about to look away when something sickening caught my eye; I rushed over to her to get a closer look and discovered that her thighs were covered in massive black, purple, blue and brown bruises. I had been in a lot of fights in my lifetime and I knew bruises well enough to know that these were all from different occasions. My whole body started shaking violently and I had to step away from her and turn around to calm myself down.

When I had my rage under control I turned back to look at her, I was mortified, someone had forced Kim's legs open and they'd done it _repeatedly_. I leaned closer to her and gently lifted her night shirt further, I didn't want to have to do it but I was terrified of what other damage had been done to her. I looked over her and discovered an array of bruises covering her rib cage and I almost cried out in agony.

I didn't know what to do, I was filled with so many emotions I thought my head was going to explode, I wanted to hold Kim in my arms and kiss away all of the pain and suffering but she didn't want a man anywhere near her. I wanted to cry out in agony for the pain we both felt and above all I wanted to murder the son of a bitch who had done this to my beautiful, beautiful girl.

I lowered her night shirt back down and covered her with the comforter, I left her room terrified that she would wake up to see me watching her and get scared. I knew I couldn't phase yet, not before I'd spoken to her so I just sat in silence on the sofa in her front room, listening to her breathing and imagining every different way I could torture the motherfucker who had dared to hurt her.

She'd been asleep for 5 hours when I heard her the pattern of her breathing change telling me she had woken up, but I didn't want to go in and end up scaring her so I just waited downstairs, trying to be patient until –

"Jared?" I heard her call out for me faintly sending me flying up the stairs.

"Kim? You ok sweetheart?" I asked from behind the door. What a stupid fucking question Jared!

I heard her get out of bed and make her way to the door, sighing quietly in what I guessed was pain. She opened the door, and gave me a strained half-smile,

"erm yeah, I'm really sorry about all of that I don't know what happened, I was just really tired I guess". Great so we were back here again.

"Kim" I waited for her to look at me, "_Please_, don't lie to me"

"I'm not Jared, I'm just having a really bad week, I'm sorry."

"Ok" I said walking past her to sit on her bed, "so what's happened to make your week so bad you can't sleep at night, you skip school and you wince eveytime you get up?" I asked in the calmest way possible, patting the bed for her to sit next to me.

She sat down, "Jared, look it's private, please stop asking me about it I can't tell you! Comprende?"

"No comprende Kim." I looked her in the eye "Do you trust me?"

"What? Jared I hardly know you."

"It doesn't matter, forget all of that, forget every thing, do you feel in your heart that you can trust me?"

She met my eye again "Yes" ahh thank god! "…with anything but this."

I was starting to lose my cool, "Kim, I know your secret"

Her body went rigid and her face looked horrified, her eyes wide and her mouth in a small o shape, "w-wh-what secret?"

"Kim, I can help you if you just tell me the truth"

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Dammit Kim!" I couldn't take her dealing with this all on her own anymore, lying for him and losing herself,

"I don't have any fucking secrets Jared! Now I'm sorry for ruining your day and crying all over you but I didn't ask you to come over! You could have left me!"

"I can't fucking leave you Kim! Not when you're hurting like this and letting it ruin your life!"

"You don't have a clue about my life! FUCK OFF JARED!" She picked up a glass and threw it at me but my senses were faster than hers and I caught it just as she made a dive for the door. I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back to the bed as she kicked and screamed, scratching every part of my skin that she could get to and biting down on my shoulder

"Get off of me you bastard!"

"Kim, I'm never going to hurt you."

I lifted her night shirt up her thighs and she screamed defiantly as I separated her legs easily,

"Now what the fuck is that?" I asked pointing to her a big back bruise the shape of a hand.


	4. Chapter 4

Just a Man's Plaything

**Chapter 4**

Kim's P.O.V.

"Nooooooo!" I wailed, turning my head away in shame. How the hell did he know? I heard him swear softly,

"Kim sweetheart, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you but I had to shock you into seeing how wrong this is" He pleaded.

I couldn't speak; I couldn't look him in the eye. I know he would never hurt me; I was never scared that he would but he knew my secret and I couldn't deal with that. I couldn't deal with seeing the look of disgust in his eyes.

"Kim, I've just had to sit through an hour of you crying hysterically without a clue what's happened to you, do you know what that did to me? Don't you think I deserve to know the truth?"

"I didn't ask you to stay Jared! I didn't ask you to look at me! I didn't ask for any of this!" I screamed at him, my eyes streaming again, "Just turn around and leave, pretend like today never happened if you can't deal with who I truly am! Just don't _ever_ look at me with the pity I can see now! I can't take it Jared! Not from you!" I broke down for the second time today, and for the second time he pulled me into his arms protectively, soothing me.

"This is not who you are Kim" he pulled me back gently so that he could look me in the eyes, "and I'm not going _anywhere_ until you realize that."

I sobbed into his shirt for what felt like forever, and when the tears subsided he just held me in silence, waiting until I was ready to speak again. When I finally did it was with a question, something that I had been confused and shocked about since he showed me my bruises,

"How did you know?" I asked, still unable to look him in the eyes

He looked nervous, "When I laid you down on your bed while you moved in your sleep and your nightshirt came up, I didn't mean to look, I was about to look away but then I caught sight of th-"

"It's ok" I interrupted, not wanting to relive it again, "I know you weren't looking at me on purpose" why would he even want to? Especially now he knew I was spoilt goods.

Jared had stayed with me all day, briefly taking my mind off everything by making me laugh, and holding me soothingly when I would break down crying. He hadn't pushed me for answers or a name, and he'd said he wouldn't until he thought I was ready, but knowing the time was approaching was making me anxious; he could never know who it was no matter how badly I wanted to tell him, no matter how much I wanted him to rip my step-father apart; there was more at stake here than my personal well being, my mum loved that man and although I could cope with her hating me, I couldn't handle ruining her life.

I looked up at the only person to ever know 'my secret' as he'd put it, and saw that he was looking at me too,

"Hey beautiful" he smiled at me gently, melting my insides, as he seemed to do so often lately, making my cheeks flush.

"Hey" I said, ducking me head and avoiding eye contact, too afraid of what I would find there.

He nudged me gently, "you wanna go get something to eat? My friend Emily is an amazing cook and she would love to meet you" He looked at me with such an eager grin it was hard to say no but his easy attitude was worrying me slightly, what was he going to do?

"Erm, Jared I don't know if I'm up for making new friends tonight, sorry; but you're welcome to go, I think I'm just going to stay here and chill." I gave him a weak smile, trying to show him that I would be fine if he left me.

"Kim" he lifted his hand to my face, brushing my hair from my eyes so gently I wondered if he was really touching me, "she's not that kind of friend, you won't have to do anything, you don't have to put on a brave face for any of my friends and you don't even have to talk to her if you don't want to; she just makes great food and has a real comfy couch to chill on when you need some space away from home" he gave me a wink, "plus…I'll be there." My favorite 'teeth smile' as I will now call it, flashed across his face and now I really struggled to resist.

"You wont…" I looked at him, hoping he would understand my question without making me finish asking it.

"I won't tell her anything if you don't want me to Kim, this isn't my secret to tell"

"Thank you" was all I could manage as my heart tried to register this newfound rock in my life, a rock I was so badly needing but becoming more and more dependent on as the minutes passed.

I'd got changed quickly, covering myself sufficiently before we headed over to Jared's friend Emily's house, he had insanely run the three miles from school to my house earlier in the day, so had to drive my car to our destination. I was beginning to become a little suspicious of all the strength Jared suddenly possessed, as well as his super warmth but now wasn't the right time to start asking questions, and to be honest, I was highly in favour of his little unique qualities.

The drive through the lush landscape of La Push was short but I enjoyed the relaxing motion of the car and the soothing sound of Jared's voice as he hummed along to the radio. After 10 minutes we stopped outside a small house that looked much the same as all the other houses in La Push. I went to get out of the car but when I looked up Jared was already making his way round to my door, opening it and taking my hand softly,

He didn't let go of it as we walked to the front door of the house and he whispered in my ear, "It will be fine, trust me." And for some reason I did.

He didn't bother knocking and the minute I walked in the door I noticed there was something very different about this house; despite the feeling that I was missing something there was an undeniable feeling that…I had come home. It was the most bizarre feeling to have in a stranger's house but there was really no other way of putting it; I just felt a warmth and safety that I hadn't felt in five years, but I had no time to contemplate the reason for this as Jared was suddenly slammed into by a large blur.

I didn't have time to panic though as he started laughing and wrestling with what, or I should say who, I now recognized as Paul. Damn I wish I wasn't so jumpy.

"I am so sorry. You would think they had been raised by wolves!" a deep voice dragged me from my despair and I couldn't help feeling that I was missing the joke as Jared and Paul broke apart laughing. I looked over to see a large figure I recognized as Sam from when I was little, I knew he had stayed around the reservation but I hadn't realized that he and Jared were that close; he moved to greet Jared and I caught a glimpse of the woman behind him. She was…I didn't know how to describe her; her most shocking feature was the scar on her right side of her face and yet that wasn't what I noticed. I understood now where the comforting atmosphere in the house came from, as warmth seemed to just emanate from her, not like the heat of Jared but more like the love of a mother; and as she turned her smile on me I felt a feeling that was altogether unfamiliar to me. I realized it was how I used to feel when I was younger and my mom smiled her 'I will fix your world smile'. Back when I believed it.

"Hi I'm Emily, Sam's fiancé, you must be Kim. Its so good to have you here." Emily's voice was even warmer then her smile, if that was possible.

"Th-thanks," I managed to stutter out as I embarrassedly hid my head so she couldn't see my eyes as they pricked with the threat of tears. What was wrong with me? She was just saying hello and even that pushed me dangerously close to breaking down again. I felt Jared shift closer to me and I was surprised at how secure it made me feel, even if he was showing signs of an overprotective male.

"Food ready yet Em? I am starving!" I had almost forgotten Paul was there but I was surprisingly grateful for the simplicity of his question as it gave me the necessary few seconds away from the attention of the room to gather my thoughts and get my roller-coasting emotions back under my control.

"You are always starving Paul. Feeding your hunger is like trying to drown a fish." Emily laughed. I was surprised at the family camaraderie that they had with each other; it was strange to be in a family situation and not feel the dread, disgust and separation that was the fog that covered my own hell of a family; but even stranger was the easy inclusion of me into the group as Sam put his arm around my shoulder and said "Don't worry Kim. We will put you nearer the food so you have a decent chance of getting at least one plateful before Paul is unleashed on it."

I smiled at him blushing slightly at the friendliness of it all and Jared squeezed my hand lightly, reassuring me that nothing was expected of me.

But there was no need for any worries as dinner was amazing; I managed to eat a whole serving without having Paul or Jared whip something off my plate, which was more than I could say for Emily; and altogether it was just nice to have a 'family' meal for once.

Shortly after dinner Sam had to leave for work and Paul was made to help clean the dishes by Emily, unsubtly leaving Jared and me alone as he held my hand and led me out into the beautiful garden.

We sat peacefully on Emily's garden swing for a few minutes as Jared gently rocked us until he broke the silence,

"See, they're not that bad are they?" he eyed me hopefully

I smiled at him, blushing slightly, "No they're not bad at all, I'm really enjoying being here actually, thank you for inviting me"

"Ahhh Kimberly, the pleasure is all mine" he winked at me, smiling his stunning 'teeth smile' and causing the regular rhythm of my heart to stutter.

He was great at taking my mind off of everything and I really appreciated all he was doing for me, he didn't have to care but for some reason he did, and I was beginning to really love it. I contemplated this new realization for a moment but was shaken out of my thoughts by an over excited Paul who came bounding out of the kitchen like an overexcited puppy.

"Hey Kim do you mind if I have a go? I love this thing!" he asked, jumping about impatiently.

"Argh Paul can't you just give the girl 5 minutes peace" Jared said slightly irritated.

"Why? Kim doesn't mind do you?" he looked at me with what I can only describe as puppy dog eyes.

I giggled, blushing again "No, of course not, I wouldn't want to spoil your fun Paul" the rocking motion was starting to make me feel a little sea sick anyway, plus I was really enjoying the way he was treating me like a normal person for once.

Jared got off the swing along with me, giving Paul enough space to have his fun.

"Sorry about him, he puts on this tough 'bad boy' exterior but really he's just a 10 year old kid inside" Jared chuckled.

I looked up at him smiling and was lost once again in his beautiful eyes, I didn't understand the feelings that they evoked in me but something was definitely beginning to change between us.

_Sqeek, squeek, squeek_

Jared dragged his gaze from my eyes to look at a very ambitious Paul attempting to swing the world record height on a garden swing, his face full of pride at his own achievement. However, the higher he swung the more unstable the swing began to look, until it started shaking uncontrollably.

_(Crash!!)_

"Owwwwww! Damn swing!" Paul cried.

Jared erupted in fits of laughter, his eyes watering as Emily rushed from the kitchen to see what had happened. I was worried about Paul's well-being but couldn't help but let out an stomach cramping giggle of my own when I saw a physically unharmed Paul's embarrassed and annoyed face as he sat in the middle of a heap of broken metal, the remains of Sam and Emily's garden swing.

"Welcome to the nut house" Jared said when we had begun to compose ourselves.

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**Please review guys, i need to know what you think about the story-line!**


	5. Chapter 5

Just a Man's Plaything

**I'm so sorry this has taken so long guys, I'm in the middle of revising for university exams and I've had the biggest writers block known to man, in the end I had to turn to romance novels for inspiration, which still didn't really help! I apologize if this isn't up to a good standard but I'm tired and exasperated, I tried my hardest!**

Disclaimer: SM owns all!

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**Chapter 5**

**Kim's P.O.V.**

We left Emily and Sam's after Paul's little accident and Jared had suggested we go back to his house to make a start on our Art projects, which I was pretty happy about, as I still didn't feel ready to go back home alone.

"Right, are you ready to see a masterpiece?" He asked me over his sketchpad, which I hadn't been allowed to see for the last hour.

I giggled at his enthusiasm but was secretly terrified of seeing the way he saw me, "yeah, hit me with it" I said.

He turned his work towards me and I gasped in shock at the image I saw; Jared had sketched me looking over my shoulder with the most distant look. The face had a confidence about it, a confidence that said "this is who I am, like it or leave me", but at the same time I looked so vulnerable the sight made my eyes prick with the threat of tears.

"It's beautiful Jared" I managed to choke out.

He smiled at me sweetly as he touched my face, "I know you probably don't want to hear this from me but it's all down to the model I had to work from."

My stomach fluttered as he looked at me with so much admiration I felt myself turn to mush. My crush on him hadn't gone away, I wanted to climb back into his warm arms and for him to kiss all the pain away but I knew that that ship had probably well and truly sailed since he found out about 'my secret'. Yeah, of course I still felt very wary around guys but with Jared things were different, for some reason I felt safe around him, safe enough to eventually be more than just friends. Argh, why did he have to discover I was bruised and battered??

"So are you going to show me yours or do I have to keep living in suspense?" He asked expectantly, pulling me from my wayward thoughts.

"Erm…." Damn, I hadn't drawn anything substantial, I had been far too preoccupied with thoughts of how I was going to keep the rest of my secret, and consequently my life, to be able to do Jared's face any justice, "'artists block' I guess" I shrugged innocently, turning my sketchpad to prove it's emptiness.

He looked kind of disappointed but he shrugged it off quickly as he caught sight of the time from a small clock on his bedside, "shit Kim it's getting late, I'm sorry I don't want you to get in trouble, we should get going", he said frantically as he jumped to his feet.

"It's ok Jared, don't worry, my step dad's gone away remember" I tried to reassure him.

He motioned for me to get up, "yeah I know but I'm sure whoever's looking after you won't be too happy if I keep you out all night" He persisted.

"It's cool really, no one's looking after me" he looked worried, "I'm old enough now to stay on my own for a few days you know Jared, I'm not that fragile" I retorted, perhaps a little too harshly as his face dropped.

"Yeah, I know you are Kim but do you honestly want to be in that house all on your own? Especially-" I held my hand up to stop him.

"_Please_, don't even go there Jared, I still can't believe someone knows" I dropped my head, crossing my arms over my chest and refusing to look at him.

"I'm sorry, but even without going _there_ I care about you Kim and I don't like to think of you alone at night" He closed the distance between us and gently put his hands on my upper arms in a successful attempt to soothe me as he brushed his fingers over the faint bruises he saw there. His hands were very warm and comforting; and it was the first time he had touched me intentionally, the thought of him beginning to get over his fear of my fragility warming me further.

Still caught up in his soothing caress, I didn't move when he leaned forward. Bending his knees so he could move closer and whisper next to my ear,

"I know you don't trust easy Kim, it's understandable, it's how you survive, but the secret to survival, isn't a matter of not trusting anyone, but trusting the right someone. In this case that would be me."

The feel of his warm breath against my skin made me shiver. His fingers still moving over my arms, doing the oddest things to my pulse, and my stomach was suddenly tied in dozens of tiny knots. I looked up as he dropped his hands and took a step back.

No one had cared about me for such a long time and suddenly all my dreams come true and I get Jared Makah as a friend, and although it was early days it didn't feel like he was going anywhere fast. He was looking down at me with an expression mixed with both worry and wonder and I missed his closeness, suddenly feeling desperately in need of a hug. I couldn't tell you the last time I had been hugged by someone; sure my mom had given me a light squeeze from time to time on birthdays and Christmases, but never a real, warm and loving hug; a hug that for some reason I felt I could receive from Jared. I dropped my arms to my sides and completely closed the distance between us, resting my head on Jared's hard chest and waiting for him to either push me away or close his arms around me, which he did almost instantaneously.

His embrace was gentle at first, giving me the confidence to wrap my arms around his waist, which in turn spurred him on to hold me tighter while rubbing a soothing hand in circular motions on my back. He smelt amazing, the manly, woodsy scent calming me completely and I felt myself clinging to him tighter. My need for this must have been obvious, as he obliged me for at least a good 10 minutes, occasionally inhaling the honey scent of my hair, before scooping me up like he had done earlier in the day and cradling me in his arms as he sat down on his bed. I could have stayed there forever, I really didn't want to stay in that house on my own, not because I was afraid anything would happen to me but because I was afraid of my own thoughts, especially the memories that I didn't want to think about.

"Thank you" I whispered, wanting him to know how much this meant to me, and he responded by gently planting a kiss on the top on my head.

"Kim, please stay here tonight, I'll take the sofa downstairs so you don't have to worry about that, but there's really no need for you to be alone in that house."

I hesitated for a moment before replying simply, "Ok, thank you" I murmured, happy not to be going home.

I didn't want to sleep, sleep meant nightmares but I didn't feel ready to tell him about those yet, so I slid off his lap casually to say goodnight. He stood up too and retrieved one of his t-shirts for me to wear.

"Goodnight Kim" He said as he bent to kiss me softly on the cheek, causing the skin there to tingle. I didn't want him to leave but it was pathetic to ask him to stay.

"Night Jared" I replied as he left the room.

I shut the door behind him, changed quickly and then collapsed on Jared's bed. I wasn't looking forward to tonight's nightmares but I hoped that the wonderful scent of my newfound friend would help keep them away.

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I woke up to the sound of someone singing, well not singing exactly, more like humming. It was a warm and soothing motherly sound and was accompanied by the mouthwatering smell of pancakes, hmmm my favorite. No one ever cooked them for me at home so I rarely had them and the smell was causing my stomach to rumble loudly. I flung the comforter aside and swung my legs to the floor, looking down to see myself dressed in Jared's large t-shirt and my underwear. This would not do to meet his mother, so I quickly pulled on yesterday's jeans, before quietly making my way down the stairs.

An older woman stood at the stove in the kitchen, humming while she flipped pancakes and placed them on a huge stack. She had warm brown hair speckled with a few grays pulled back into a neat bun at the nape of her neck; she wore flat black shoes, and a long summer skirt and white blouse.

I couldn't find any sign of Jared so I watched hesitantly for a moment, keeping myself hidden, or so I thought,

"I'm Joanne, Jared's mama" the woman called, not turning around. I hesitated for a moment before finally stepping into the room and finding my voice,

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kim, a friend of Jared's from school, he let me stay here last night-"

"Relax honey, Jared told me you needed a place to stay and I'm glad that we were able to help" She smiled at me and I returned the gesture,

"Ah, where's Jared?" I asked.

"He had to leave early this morning to run some errands for Sam Ulley but he won't be long. I'm sorry I wasn't here to meet you last night, I'm not sure if Jared told you but I'm a nurse at Forks Hospital so I work nights sometimes. Are you hungry dear?"

She was the stereotypical motherly woman, "erm, yes, please Mrs. Makah."

"Oh, please call me Joanne. Are you from La Push dear? I've lived here all my life; know darn near everyone. Do I know your folks?"

"I doubt it, my mum's Katherine Ryan and my step dad Mitch Ryan but they kind of keep themselves to themselves." _Joanne_ nodded politely as she placed a plate in front of me, stacked with pancakes and covered in fruit and maple syrup.

"Oh my, thank you, I love pancakes but I'm not sure I will be able to eat all of these"

"Don't worry dear just eat what you want, Jared and his friends eat so much I'm used to dishing up hefty portions" She chuckled a sweet comforting sound that made me smile. It wasn't hard to see where Jared gets his caring nature.

We talked for a while about general trivial topics, and I enjoyed the effortlessness of it all, I liked Joanne, she was simple, open and extremely welcoming; but she was definitely intrigued by me and Jared's friendship.

"Finnish your breakfast, dear. I've got something to show you. I'll bet you'll agree that my son was as handsome growing up as he is now. You do think he's handsome, don't you?" She said.

Before I could answer, Joanne was on her feet and off into another room. A moment later she retuned handing me a large picture album of little Jared, and yes, I did agree with her.

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**Jared's P.O.V.**

This morning had been awkward, regrettably I'd had to leave Kim for patrol in the early hours of the morning and as soon as I phased Sam and Paul knew exactly what had happened to Kim. It was hard enough to process without having the pack know as well. They were both shocked and I could hear the disgust and pity in their thoughts making me feel sick, but they had been supportive. It reminded me of the way people would look at me with pity when my dad died 7 years ago and I hated it, I hated how they couldn't possibly understand when they pretended they did and I knew that Kim would hate people acting that way around her just as much. But Sam and Paul weren't to blame, it was a natural human reaction to feel sympathy.

Patrol seemed to take ages this morning, which kept the guy's thoughts off of Kim. We had been in chase of the same vampire for a good couple weeks now and she'd had us running in circles; but when the trail ran dry we made our way back home and Paul struggled to control his thoughts but it was too late, I'd heard him,

_Poor Jared, his imprint is spoilt goods._

I let out a deafening growl as I turned on Paul, but Sam was quick to stop me.

_Leave it Jared_, he commanded.

_Blood, I'm sorry, I couldn't control it_, Paul pleaded but I didn't want to know. I ran off in the direction of home as fast as I could. It may have been a wayward thought but it cut me deep, not because I was angry I had imprinted on someone that had been violated in the most horrible way but because the center of my universe had been hurt so badly, and repeatedly.

It took me a while to phase back when I reached the house but the thought of seeing Kim again eventually allowed me to return to my human form. I could hear my mom and Kim downstairs so I climbed the wall and jumped in my bedroom window to retrieve some decent clothing before I jumped back out to enter via the front door.

When I walked in I found Kim perched in a chair with my mom braiding her long black hair, so engrossed in friendly chatter and looking at photos, they hadn't even heard me come in.

I lingered in the doorway as I heard my mom detailing one of my many embarrassing childhood stories.

*"When he was 5 he was riding his prized toy truck around the house when he decided he wanted to go and see his daddy downstairs, but instead of walking down them he decided it would be a good idea to ride his truck down the whole flight and as u can see, those steps are uncarpeted and unpadded. After the second step he had fallen out of the truck and was rolling his way down the steps only to land at the bottom and have his broken truck fall on top of him. His father and I almost had a heart attack and the situation wasn't helped by the realization that head wounds bleed an awful lot.

"Good job I got a thick skull hey Ma" I finally chipped in, startling them both. "Stop boring Kim, I'm sure she doesn't want to hear silly stories, just as much as she doesn't want to see my naked baby pictures"

"I was enjoying them actually" Kim retorted with a cheeky smile to my mom, man she was cute.

"I just thought Kim needed to know exactly what a terror you used to be. People in this town think I'm going gray from old age and they need to be put straight" My mom joked, the good feeling between the three of us making me smile.

"Your shift at the hospital still start at 11:30 Ma?"

"Yes son, why?" She asked suddenly confused.

"You're going to be late"

She quickly hopped off her chair apologizing and left the room to get changed for work, returning just as quickly to say her goodbyes before leaving me and Kim alone.

"I'm sorry about my mom, she can get kind of overenthusiastic at times"

"No, it was nice getting to know her, you have a lovely mother" She answered, smiling sweetly but her eyes showing the slightest flicker of sadness.

"You don't get on with your mom too well do you?" I asked, perhaps pushing my luck a little too far, but after a few moments she answered.

"We get on ok."

"Ok?"

"Yeah, we rarely argue and are perfectly pleasant with each other, but that's not exactly the relationship you want with your mom is it?" She looked at me and as I looked into her deep brown eyes I was afraid of the sadness I found there.

"Your mom doesn't know what an amazing daughter she has" I said as I pulled her into my arms, embracing her as I had the night before, and was happy when I felt her arms close around me. She felt so small and fragile in my arms and I hadn't failed to notice the way she clung to me when I held her, as if she needed to feel this closeness more than I could possibly imagine, and I began to wonder how much hurt this beautiful girl had had to endure in her life.

We stood embracing in my kitchen for a few minutes before I broke the silence.

"I need to go out again tonight to help Sam again, will you be alright here for a couple of hours?" I felt her nod, her head resting on my shoulder.

"What are you doing this afternoon?" She asked quietly.

I bent my head to kiss her beautiful head, "At the moment, holding you."

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**NB *I couldn't think of any childhood stories so I stole this one from a forum online, thanks Dark Lord!**

**P.S. Please review guys, I need the inspiration!**

**P.P.S. Any ideas for the plot would be greatly appreciated :)**


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